1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise equipment, and more specifically to treadmills that are capable of folding, to reduce the amount of space required to store and transport or ship the treadmill.
2. The Relevant Technology
Treadmills are popular exercise machines that enable a user to engage in a running or walking movement while maintaining a relatively stationary position. A conventional treadmill includes two major sections: a tread base and a handrail. The tread base includes a frame having rollers mounted on opposing ends thereof. A continuous belt extends around and between the two rollers to be fashioned into a flat, continuous loop. In one design, an electrical motor is connected to the front roller. When the motor is turned on, the roller spins and imparts rotational movement to the belt. In an alternative design, no motor is provided and the continuous belt rotates as the user standing on the belt walks or runs thereupon. Friction between the user and the belt causes the belt to rotate in a continuous loop around the rollers.
The handrail, typically, extends upwardly with respect to the frame of the tread base and extends across the front of the treadmill. The handrail acts as a support or stabilizer for the user as the user exercises upon the belt. Some alternative treadmills include moveable arms attached to the handrail. These movable arms enable the user to exercise their arms while running or walking on the treadmill, thereby allowing simultaneous strengthening of multiple areas of the users body and performance of an aerobic exercise workout.
Many treadmills include a console or control panel mounted on the handrail. The console allows a user to control the operation of the treadmill and receive a display of exercise related information such as elapsed time, speed, pulse, or calories burned. Controls for treadmill speed, inclination, or exercise program can also be part of the console.
In use a motorized, a user steps onto the continuous belt facing the front of the treadmill. The motor is then turned on, causing the top surface of the belt to rotate from the front of the tread base to the rear of the tread base. To maintain a stationary position on the treadmill, the user must then walk or run at a speed corresponding to the speed of the belt. If desired, the user can grasp the handrail for support. When the user is done exercising, he or she simply turns the treadmill off and steps off the continuous belt.
Early treadmills tended to be bulky due to large motors and oversized parts. Such treadmills were typically difficult to move around and required a relatively large amount of space. Accordingly, such early treadmills were almost exclusively found in spas and gyms having large amounts of floor space. Further, due to the excessive size, such treadmills were costly to transport or ship from a manufacturing facility or retail location to a spas or gym. Shipping containers used to deliver the treadmills were oversized, resulting in a cost premium to deliver the treadmill to the spa or gym. To reduce costs, the treadmills could be dismantled; however, it was difficult and time consuming to rebuild the treadmill at the spa or gym.
As engineering improved, the size and weight of treadmills decreased. Nevertheless, the size of treadmills was limited by the length and width of the base, which had to be large enough for a user to safely walk or run thereon. Due to this minimum size limitation, treadmills were significantly precluded from home or apartment use, which did not have available space to house a treadmill.
In an attempt to remedy this problem, foldable treadmills were developed. Foldable treadmills include a tread base having rollers and a continuous belt as previously described. The front of the tread base is hingedly attached to a stationary stand so that the tread base can be selectively moved between an operating position and a storage position. In the operating position, the base is substantially horizontal or substantially parallel to the surface upon which the treadmill rests. The user stands on the tread base facing the stationary stand and walks or runs thereon as discussed above. When use is completed, the tread base can be selectively moved to a storage position by lifting up the rear end of the tread base. The tread base is lifted to a substantially upright position with the front end of the tread base still rotatably connected to the stationary stand. By folding up the tread base, the treadmill takes up substantially less floor space making the treadmill more accessible for use in homes and apartments.
While foldable treadmills take up less space, they still have other drawbacks. For example, the length of the tread base remains a constraint to the size of shipping container that can be used to transport or ship the treadmill to a purchaser""s location. Whether the tread base is in an operating or in a storage position, the dimensions of the tread base remain the same. Similarly, the length of the tread base is a restraint to the particular location within a user""s home or apartment where the treadmill can be stored. It would, therefore, be an advance to provide an easily transportable treadmill capable of being stored in space smaller than is typically required for conventional treadmills. Further, it would be an advance to provide a treadmill that gives a user an aerobic and/or anaerobic exercise, while being simple to transport and store.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a treadmill that is capable of collapsing or folding to reduce the amount of space required to store and transport the treadmill, while being capable of providing an exercising individual with an aerobic exercise workout.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a treadmill that is capable of reducing the overall length of the tread base to reduce the space required to store or transport the treadmill.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a treadmill that is capable of reducing the overall length of the tread base in a simple and efficient manner.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a treadmill that can be stored in a variety of different configurations to provide an individual, spa or gym, or a retail establishment with the capabilities of storing and transporting the treadmill in a variety of different manners.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a folding mechanism that prevents over rotation of the portions of the tread base during folding and unfolding of the tread base.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tread base with a folding mechanism that securely positions a front portion of the tread base in a planar relationship with a rear portion of the tread base.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide locking mechanisms to securely retain or maintain the tread base in different storage positions.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a motorized treadmill that can be inclined or declined during operation of the treadmill.
The present invention is directed to exercise devices that provide an exercising individual with an aerobic and/or anaerobic exercise workout. The present invention is particularly well suited to treadmills and the manner by which such treadmills are transported from location to location and stored at an individual""s home or apartment or other location.
In one embodiment, the presently described invention is incorporated within a treadmill, whether motorized or non-motorized. The treadmill has a length and a height that defines the outer dimensions of the space required to store and operate the treadmill. The present invention includes a tread base that can be folded, such as into two portions, So that the length of the tread base can be reduced to thereby substantially eliminate the tread base as the limiting factor to the size of transport container needed to ship the treadmill.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the tread base includes a front portion and a rear portion that are pivotally coupled together by way of a folding mechanism. A belt, upon which an individual can exercise, extends from substantially the proximal end of the front portion to substantially the distal end of the rear portion. In one embodiment, the folding mechanism allows the rear portion to fold toward the front portion so that lower surfaces of the front and rear portions are substantially adjacent one to another. In this manner, the length of the tread base can be selectively, substantially reduced to allow more efficient transportation and storage of the treadmill.
The folding mechanism can include a number of pivot members coupled to the front portion and the rear portion. These members enable the rear portion to pivot about the distal end of the front portion and thereby fold to reduce the overall length of the tread base. A means for locking the first portion to the second portion, such as a spring latch, releasably connects the front portion and the rear portion together in a substantially planar relationship one to another. Consequently, the front or first portion and the rear or second portion, when locked together, creates a surface upon which the belt can move and upon which an individual can exercise.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the tread base includes a pad that acts as a friction reducing member to enable the belt to more easily move during use of the treadmill. The pad can move during the folding process to prevent damage to the pad from stretching of the pad as the front portion and the rear portion move relative one to another.
The tread base can be connected to a support structure that gives stability to the tread base. In one embodiment, the support structure, such as one or more support members slidably engages with a handrail. A locking mechanism securely retains the handrail in a position selected by the exercising individual, thereby providing means for selectively varying the position of the handrail relative to the tread base and consequently enabling individuals having differing heights to position the console at various desired heights. By providing slidable engagement of the handrail with the support structure, the present invention allows the overall height of the treadmill to be reduced to allow a more efficient transportation or storage of the treadmill. When combined with the folding tread base capability of the present invention, this adjustable handrail feature enables a highly efficient, compact design.
Further, the treadmill can include a motion assembly that inclines and declines the tread base, while optionally causing the belt to rotate about two rollers formed within the tread base. The motion assembly can aid with supporting the tread base and providing a pivot point about which the tread base can rotate for storage in various different storage positions. For instance, the pivot point allows the tread base to be stored with the tread base having its maximum length or where the tread base is folded.
These advantages in addition to other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.